Sparring Time
by TheEmberGirl
Summary: Sequel to A Puzzle Solved. What happen when Toph and Zuko spar. Trouble of course.TOKO.


**Hi everybody! This is the sequel to my other Avatar fic _A Puzzle Solved_, this picks up just it finishes. If anyone can think of any other 'unsolved mysteries' in Avatar please PM me or tell me in a review and I will try to explain it in a story.  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, if I did Toko would be cannon**

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**Sparring Time**

Toph grumbled as she dragged Zuko into the courtyard.

'Urgh, Sparky, why do you walk so slowly?'

'Well I'm sorry, Toph, I just don't walk as fast as you, and stop calling me Sparky!'

'Ouch, watch where you're going!' exclaimed Toph, she had stopped walking suddenly and Zuko walked into her.

'It's your fault; you stopped without any particular reason.' Zuko snapped, temper rising.

'No particular reason?' asked Toph striding to the other side of the yard. 'Hello Sunshine, we've arrived at the sparring courtyard.'

'Oh, right. And don't call me Sunshine either.'

There was no response from Toph and Zuko wondered if he should start the spar, this question was answered a few moments later as a boulder slammed into his chest.

'Hey!' he cried.

'Well,' said Toph. 'I wasn't about to wait for you to start, and I'll call you whatever I want to call you, Princess Sparky Pants!'

Zuko responded with a fire blast, which Toph deflected by raising an earth wall, before sending small pointy rocks towards his head, Zuko incinerated those just in time to avoid the crack that opened in the ground.

Toph laughed manically as Zuko nearly tripped over a block of earth she'd raised.

'Hey Sparky, your skills are getting rusty. You've been spending too much time in your office, good thing I came here to drag you out. '

Zuko just growled and threw flames at her feet, which she avoided by raising herself on a pillar of earth.

'Wow, Zuko, that was low even for you,' Toph paused to laugh at her little pun. 'I thought you'd gotten over doing that at the Western Air Temple.' She finished, smiling dangerously.

Zuko narrowed his eyes, Toph hadn't called him a nickname this time, and this meant she was about to fight seriously. His instincts were correct, a moment later two rock walls were raised on either side of him and began closing in on him. Zuko ran towards Toph, a flame in each hand, barely making it out as the wall slammed against each other, he threw the flames a Toph but she'd already jumped over his head and onto a newly raised platform of stone.

'Almost got you there Sparky!' she teased before sinking the platform back into the ground to avoid the stream of fire he'd aimed at her head. Zuko didn't waste any time and sent a wall of flame towards her, when he stopped, instead of the wall of dirt he expected to see, there was nothing, she was gone. Zuko blinked in confusion, where could she have gone, there was nowhere she could have hidden.

'Oi! Fire Lord Clueless! Over here!'

Zuko spun around to face Toph, who was standing on a rock a couple of metres away from him. He grinned and was about to throw fire at her when he felt a tugging at his foot.

'Huh?' he looked down and saw his ankle manacled in rock, he just had time to look at Toph and see her smirking before the ground swallowed him up to his shoulders.

'Looks like I win!' Toph crowed as she walked towards him. Zuko just glared at her.

'Come on, you know I'm not letting you out until you admit defeat.'

'Fine,' he sighed. 'I just got bested by the greatest Earthbender ever. Happy now Toph?'

'That's better,' said Toph, releasing Zuko from the earth. 'You know your uncle's always saying that you should admit defeat.'

Zuko nodded as he caught his breath. Toph sprawled down beside him, exhausted as well.

'Well that was fun.' She said

'Fun for you.' Muttered Zuko.

'Stop being such a sore loser,' Toph mocked poking him in the ribs. 'So did that take some stress off you or not?'

Zuko realised that the headache he'd had earlier had disappeared completely, and that somehow, sparring with Toph had relaxed him.

'Yeah, thanks Toph.'

'No problem Sparky, anytime.

'So how did you disappear?'

'Easy, there was an old tunnel under this courtyard. So anyway, where's Little Miss Moody?'

'Who?'

'Your _girlfriend, _Mai.'

'Oh, she's visiting her parents.'

'Sparky, is there something wrong?'

'No, why would you think that?'

'Sparky, there's no point trying to lie to me.'

'Fine,' sighed Zuko. 'We've been growing distant since a fight we had last month, and I'm not even sure if I like her that much anymore.'

'Well, Sunshine, stop pouting, It doesn't suit you. I'm sure she'll come around eventually. Besides even if she doesn't as I think your uncle would say: there plenty of other fish in the sea.'

Toph ruffled his hair and got up to leave, and was surprised when Zuko stopped her and pulled her into a hug.

'Thanks again Toph, I really need that sparring session and talk.'

'As I said Sparky, anytime,' said Toph shrugging away from the hug. 'By the way, did I mention Aang and Katara will be visiting soon? Plenty of people to talk to then, especially if Sokka insists on tagging along. '

Zuko groaned half-heartedly at the thought of the Water tribesman and said:

'I'll remember that. Hey Toph I think you need a nickname too. How about Short Stuff?'

'Short Stuff!? Zuko, you are in trouble next time we spar.' With that Toph punched him on the arm, launched herself to her feet and exited the courtyard. Zuko shook his head and smiled to himself before getting up and following her, knowing Toph, she was probably meeting with his uncle in the Palace kitchens.

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**So did you like it? Toko is my favourite ATLA pairing. Please Review so I'll write more Avatar fics especially about 'unexplained mysteries'.**

**Thanks for reading**

**~nightworlder-HunterofArtemis.**


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